What does an international background check show?

In short: It shows the same factual outcomes as a domestic check (identity verified, criminal record clean or with findings, employment confirmed, qualifications confirmed), aggregated across every country where the candidate has lived or worked. No judgements, no recommendations, just verified facts.

Standard international screening contents

A typical international package includes:

• Identity verification, against the document type valid in the candidate’s country of issue
• Criminal record check, in each country where they have lived in the relevant lookback period
• Qualification verification, with the institution that issued each degree (foreign or domestic)
• Employment verification, with each former employer in the relevant period
• Reference check, with named referees regardless of country
• Credit check (where relevant and legal), in the country where the candidate currently resides
• PEPs and sanctions screening, against global lists
• Adverse media screening, against international news and watchlists

The consolidated report

You get one report covering everything, with each finding flagged by country. For example:

Identity verified (NL passport, valid until 2031) Criminal record: clean (NL, 4-year lookback) Criminal record: clean (DE, 5-year lookback) Education: Bachelor of Science in Economics, University of Amsterdam, 2019 confirmed Employment: ING Bank Amsterdam, May 2019 - Apr 2024, role confirmed by HR Employment: Deutsche Bank Frankfurt, May 2024 - present, current employer confirmation deferred

That format makes it easy to see where the data came from and how recent each finding is.

Country-specific gotchas

Some countries impose specific rules that affect the output:

• United States: federal vs state criminal records are separate. Comprehensive coverage requires multiple lookups, which we handle.
• Germany: criminal record checks (Führungszeugnis) usually require the candidate to obtain the document themselves and upload it. We guide them through this.
• United Kingdom: Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks have different levels (basic, standard, enhanced). We help you pick the right one for the role.
• France: criminal record extracts are issued by the Casier Judiciaire National. We handle the application.
• Spain: regional regulations apply. We work with local accredited agents.

For each country we work with, we document the standard process so you know what to expect. Get in touch if you want a country-specific breakdown.

What it does not show

• Subjective opinions of former employers, we only verify factual employment data
• Internal HR records you do not have access to, we work with information employers are willing to confirm
• Convictions sealed or expunged by law, where the local law prohibits disclosure
• Data that has aged out of the lookback period (varies per jurisdiction)